Normally, vacations seem to fly by, but the two weeks we spent in Spain in May felt like a good, long holiday. We savoured every day, filled up on castles, cathedrals and tapas, and enjoyed almost perfect weather. After spending six days in Barcelona, we then had one day each in Valencia, Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Madrid, and Girona. We finished off with one day in Lyon, France and two days in Vevey, Switzerland.
A few observations of note: Facecloths, hair conditioner and tissues are not standard issue in the vast majority of Spanish hotels; both the dotted and the solid lines on roads in Spain are only suggestions; your Spanish driver will NOT scrape the mirrors off the side of the car going down lanes that would challenge a bicyclist.
I didn’t write a word through the whole trip, though I did spend a few hours the first few days updating files with retailers and distributors for the May 30 release of Penance (Now titled Lethal Waters). The break from all writerly things was just what I needed.
Here are a few pics from our visit to Spain in May. (Seems I can’t take a straight picture to save my life–it’s a good thing there’s software to fix that!)
This was my second reading at the McKellar Library, and once again, Maxine and Joan did a tremendous job of hosting the event. Not only was my reading announced on the Township’s roadside billboard, but they also advertised it in the local paper and even announced it on 103.3, Moose FM.
The wedding came off with only the one (expected) hitch. The bride was stunning, her groom handsome. Vows were spoken, cake was eaten, toasts were made, but it was the first time I’d seen a drone taking photographs.
When we were kids, we’d see maybe one boat go by each day, and when it did, it was an event. It didn’t matter that the boats were almost always canoes or small aluminum fishing boats. We’d run to the shore to see who it was and shout out, “Having any luck?” Sometimes they’d hold up their catch and we’d wave. Because of the falls, the river’s a dead end, so the boaters would all have to come back our way. We’d wave again and call out “Good luck,” and they’d disappear around the bend. Today, over the course of a day, a dozen pontoon boats or PWCs might motor past.
We recently took a road trip to Naramata to visit friends and join in a birthday celebration. The trip had been planned for weeks, so the details were well organized: ferry schedules consulted, route mapped out, and hotels booked. So imagine my surprise when an unexpected windfall cropped up.
